Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I had a Vietnamese friend whose mother was of Dutch
heritage. After dinner, they pulled out two hermetic glass jars, one filled
with squares of dark Dutch chocolate and the other with crystallized ginger
coins. You ate them together or alternating, while sipping hot, black tea. To
me, it was a perfectly memorable way to end a meal.

This combination has blended its way into my gingerbread.
With semi-sweet chocolate and minced candied ginger, this cake is dense but oh,
so moist and delicious. Sprinkled with sugary snow, it is a wonderful, wintry
way to celebrate December and the holidays. You can elevate this into a
luscious gingerbread latte cake for a special occasion, topping each slice with
coffee whipped cream and grated chocolate. Either way it will be savoured, even
at its simplest, perhaps after an effortless meal, with some hot, black
tea.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and
baking soda. In another bowl, mix molasses and buttermilk together. Add a third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Then add half the molasses mixture in with the butter mixture, and keep alternating, making sure to stir in
between additions and ending with flour. Stir in mini chocolate chips until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or
until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20
minutes then gently slide out of the pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve slices of warm cake topped with coffee whipped cream and grated chocolate or cocoa.